wow a telescope but when the building is lighted at night i cannot work very well can it?

I imagine is above most of the radiant light of the city and will really only need to worry about shielding the glow of the crescent. Much of this will be determined by the depth of the telescope's well within the dome and the strength of the lens. Either way it should be far better than what the lay person will have on the ground and adds a nice attraction for those already at the top.

I bet you'll get some great views of the moon.

__________________"How can anybody be enlightened? Truth is after all so poorly lit."

Most of people with sound mind don´t give a damn about your mosque, some stupid stone in a stone box or the allowance of non-muslims to Mecca. He made such a statement because you are obviously biased and you with your melody boys keep bitching about anyone else who doesn´t share your thoughts and opinions about this building!

Given that we can now measure time with a precision down to millionths of a second, and that we can predict exactly where and when the moon will be in it's orbit with a simple computer program, why would you need to actually observe the moon in order to determine what day it is?

Given that we can now measure time with a precision down to millionths of a second, and that we can predict exactly where and when the moon will be in it's orbit with a simple computer program, why would you need to actually observe the moon in order to determine what day it is?

At least three different major religions use the lunar cycle to orient select holy days within the calendar year. Christianity, for instance, bases Easter in accordance with the lunar cycle for spring.

Thus, the telescope isn't necessary but you can see why the moon has an influence within religious activitities.

__________________"How can anybody be enlightened? Truth is after all so poorly lit."

i think gulfarabia is right, because it looks either like lights or cameras and cameras dont make sense. maybe this location for the light came in handy later on construction. a lot of details change over time, the size with 2 or three balls was a detail that changed in the past too, remember